| FAQ |
 |
 |
 |
|
Frequently Asked Questions Q. What challenge is Forgotten Voices trying to address? There are so many in our world needing attention. A. Forgotten Voices International is concerned by the rapid rise of orphaned and vulnerable children in southern Africa, the lack of support for locally-run projects, and the challenges facing local leaders within the church who seek to provide sustainable care. We recognize that many of the struggles these children and communities face are results of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. People are turning to their local church for solutions. We believe the local church is in a key position to provide life-giving care. Many of the leaders choosing to remain in southern Africa are working tirelessly, but have limited access to resources, training, funding and essential supplies. We are concerned about some of the most forgotten places on the planet, areas of the world where the tragedies facing churches & the communities they love are significant. They need support and it is our great joy and privilege to respond in areas we have historically over-looked. Facts: 1. Zimbabwe was home to 1.3 million AIDS orphans in 2006. There will likely be 2 million by 2010. 2. 86% of orphans live with their grandparents. 3. The median age in Zimbabwe has dropped to 19 years old. 4. Zimbabwe currently has an 80%+ unemployment rate. 5. In Zimbabwe, 33% of pregnant women are HIV positive. Q. What is Forgotten Voices doing to equip churches to empower AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children? A. Forgotten Voices is partnering with local church leaders in Zimbabwe and Zambia, equipping them with project management assistance and resources to empower orphans and vulnerable children in their own communities. These African leaders are then designing Local Action Plans which identify how their church can better assist these children on a long-term basis. These Local Action Plans identify: 1. How to empower orphans 2. How to equip leaders in the community 3. How to raise sustainable hope by providing ways for the church or community to absorb the project costs over time, becoming self-sufficient. By coming alongside local leaders and investing in locally initiated projects, Forgotten Voices strives to empower local people to effectively address the multi-faceted challenges faced by AIDS orphans, their relatives and other vulnerable children. These challenges, as these local leaders see them, include the financial burden of school fees, basic nutritional and hygienic needs, and counseling support for the children and their relatives. Over time, income-generating projects are a part of our formula, where appropriate. Q. Why another non-profit? Why not just work with one in existence? A. Forgotten Voices is the only organization doing this kind of work with these institutions and church leaders in Zimbabwe and Zambia. We partner with dozens of organizations to maximize the resources available in the regions of our projects. With each project, we ask local church leaders to first determine what resources are available to them now through their community, other organizations and churches. After those potential partnerships are identified, we help local leadership explore ways to fill the resource gaps still remaining. Q. How much money goes to directly to children in southern Africa? I’ve heard that some non-profits spend a lot of money on marketing and administrative costs. How does Forgotten Voices work? A. Forgotten Voices is committed to a goal of at least 90% of funds going into programming and projects in southern Africa. Each year, Forgotten Voices will make its financial records available to donors, detailing how funds were spent. By using volunteers to share our story and fundraise in the United States, and local leaders running local projects in Africa, we remain committed to stretching every dollar. Q. What are some examples of projects that Forgotten Voices has partnered with in Zambia and Zimbabwe? A. Mtshebezi AIDS Clinic: This Brethren in Christ Church project is seeking to help 3,500 people in southern Zimbabwe and send of 1,000 vulnerable children to school each year. Mtshebezi is a multi-faceted clinic that is identifying AIDS orphans and other children in need, assisting these children and their families with school fees and food, providing counseling and spiritual support, and offering skills training to empower the local community. You can fund a child’s primary school fees for an entire academic year for an average of $15. B.Christian Leadership Resource Centre (CLRC): The CLRC is a locally driven resource for AIDS workers and pastors of all Christian denominations in Zimbabwe. It provides opportunities to network with other community leaders and share resources. Forgotten Voices sponsors regular project management seminars run by trained, local experts, in an effort to help build up leaders in the country. You can pay for the training of a pastor for an average of $50. C. Farming God’s Way (FGW): This faith based non-profit organization centered in Harare, Zimbabwe, offers sustainable hope to Africa by transferring much needed skills to farmers and their families. This training enables farmers to quickly turn their garden plots into viable ventures from which their families may be fed and a profit earned. FGW is specifically focused on equipping the rural poor of Africa to realize the God-given potential of their land. It is the goal of FGW to bring about a great harvest in righteousness and faithful stewardship by uniting the Word of God with agricultural discipleship. Where Farming God's Way is being implemented, plots are producing a 300 percent yield over traditional farming. You can help bring a farm to feed ten people for a year for approximately $30. Q. Why help people on the other side of the world when there are people hurting right here in our own communities? No family or child in need is more or less deserving of care, and we hope that learning more about our ministry will challenge you to discern how you are called to serve those in need, whether it be here in your home country or across the world. Scripture clearly calls Christians to care for widows and orphans in their distress. At Forgotten Voices, we see the harsh conditions facing communities and the Church of southern Africa, and are compelled to respond. In Zimbabwe, for example, people are living in the world’s worst economy and under a politically volatile government. With little to no government services or other programmatic approaches to turn to, how will people address the ever-rising levels of HIV infection, economic inflation, unemployment, food shortages and orphaned children? The Church in places like Zimbabwe and Zambia is responding to communities with the limited resources they have, and invites those of us with additional resources and support to partner with them. |